Publication: Independent Online Issued: Date: 2006-08-15 Reporter: Jeremy Gordin Reporter:

Trio Slams Zuma in Affidavits

 

Publication 

Independent Online

Date

2006-08-15

Reporter

Jeremy Gordin

Web Link

www.iol.co.za

 

The former minister of justice, the former director of national public prosecutions and its present head have all delivered lacerating attacks on Jacob Zuma.

These are contained in affidavits the three submitted in response to the application by the former deputy president to have his trial on charges of corruption and fraud struck off the roll.

The gloves have come off in the pre-trial skirmishing between the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Zuma and Thint, the giant French arms manufacturer charged with corruption.

A number of allegations and counter-allegations are made in the sworn affidavits which were entered into the record by the State yesterday.

The gloves have come off

The four affidavits – by national director of public prosecutions Vusi Pikoli, former justice minister Penuell Maduna, former national director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka and Scorpions head Leonard McCarthy – are 500 pages long and form part of the State’s response to the application made by Zuma and Thint on July 31 that the charges against them be struck from the roll.

“These are seriously angry documents,” said one of the defence attorneys. “Now there is blood all over the floor.” *1

The claims made by Zuma on July 31 include that he is a victim of a political conspiracy; that the NPA treated him extremely badly for this reason; and that President Thabo Mbeki fired him as deputy president because he knew Pikoli was going to charge him.

In the affidavits, the four men vehemently deny that Zuma is the victim of a political conspiracy. They also deny his allegations against the NPA regarding its treatment of him.

Maduna said Zuma’s continued presentation of himself as the victim of a political conspiracy “serves to demonstrate the opportunistic and squalid nature of Zuma’s allegation”.

'Seriously angry documents'

Pikoli said Zuma “effectively branded President Thabo Mbeki a liar” by accusing Mbeki of firing him because Pikoli wanted to prosecute him, and not because of the fact that his friend and former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, had been found by a judge to have had a “generally corrupt relationship” with him.

Ngcuka said, as did all the other men, that Zuma’s affidavit about his treatment by the NPA contained very few facts and many vague allegations.

In his affidavit, McCarthy said Zuma’s allegations were nothing but “insults and slurs about the manner in which the State has conducted the investigation and prosecution of this case”.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on August 15, 2006

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Gordin and Independent Online.


*1       Having read the four answering affidavits, they are merely a robust response to a far more virulent and caustic attack contained within the founding affidavits from Zuma and Moynot.

Let the games begin.

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